Becoming

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“The moment in between what you once were, and who you are now becoming, is where the dance of life really takes place.” *Barbara De Angelis

...and it seems I've been doing a lot of dancing lately.

After 4 years of having Matt at home all day...pretty much every day, I am now in charge of raising these two precious girls alone. I know, I know...I'm being overly dramatic. But we have a lot of drama around here lately and it must be rubbing off.

Being a stay-at-home mom is the best job on earth. And it's hard. And it's beautiful. And I'm still figuring it all out.

It often feels like the only thing I do all day is make meals and clean the house. Over and over and over. But you see...I also want time in there to do amazing, life-changing activities with my girls. I want to sing and dance and tell them stories. I want to give them opportunities and experiences. I want to have art projects that rival the best of Waldorf schools! :) Oh my. I'm getting crazy now.

We've never really been a schedule-driven type of family...we usually just go with the flow. But I'm finding that having a loose schedule is helpful. Especially for Bella. She wants to know exactly what is happening and when. Every day.

I've given myself a couple of weeks now to try to work out the kinks...to get into our groove. And it's slowly happening. I can feel a nice rhythm to our days. And it feels really good. The "everyday" of our lives makes all of us happy (thank you Erin for an amazing post that refreshed my soul). Reading the same books. Going to the same stores. Being with the same friends. Sweeping the same floor.

I am getting through the day with Jesus at my side...I can almost hear him whispering my name. Reminding me to have more patience, more love, and less perfectionism :) He is telling me to go to bed sooner and get up earlier...and that too will help immensely.

I would love to have a conversation in the comments about what really works for you and your family. Feel free to use these questions as a springboard...

  • Tell me about the rhythm of your day.
  • What is the best advice you've ever received as a stay-at-home or work-at-home mother?
  • What has been your biggest struggle and how are you overcoming it?
  • What is your deepest joy in being a homemaker?
  • Are there certain blogs that you love for homemaking/mama inspiration?
  • Do you use a "system" for cleaning your house (i.e. Flylady, etc)?

I look forward to reading about and discussing your life as mothers, wives, and keepers of the home!

Life in Longmont

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Oh where to begin? There is much to tell and my heart is full. So without further ado, I give you...the big life update.

We moved into a rental house in Longmont, Colorado on December 31. This little house couldn't be more perfect. I know, I know...how do we find these places, right? It was built in 1910, but it's been remodeled nicely and has paint colors that jive with our style already. It's in a perfectly wonderful part of town...close to parks, the library, and most importantly, the Thai restaurant. ;) Oh, did I mention the adorable little backyard that is perfect for entertaining and hooping? See the tour here.

Matt is working in Boulder for my brother's company, and it's just a short drive away with mountain views the entire way.  It's been different having him gone all day at work, but we are slowly adjusting and finding our new rhythm after 4 years of having him at home. I'll be writing more about that soon.

I am looking forward to doing more photography...if you are in the area, I'd love to do your family/child/engagement photos. And please share my website with your friends!

Speaking of friends :) It's not often that you can move to a completely new community and have an instant network of friends...but that's exactly what we have here. Some of our dearest and oldest friends, Kris and Natalie, live here. Natalie knows me so completely. We've been through the highest highs and the lowest lows of life together. Oh how I love her!

Kris and Matt are like two peas in a pod. Both towering over the general population at 6'6"...they make quite the pair. We've been creating memories together since our college days...and we're all looking forward to making many more!

They have been out here for about 5 years planting house churches...and we will be jumping right in alongside them. Matt led worship this last week and again this week. He has missed that so much. We're excited to be plugged back into a home church community.

I also have a slew of blog friends that live in the Denver metro area...and I already have plans to meet up with many lovely ladies. My brother, Scotty, is now working in Boulder too...it's been so great seeing him all the time. My brother Dan, and Jess are here often as well. AND...my aunt/uncle/cousins live in Denver...so we have no shortage of family here!

Longmont is just a fun place to be. And with a population of almost 90,000, there is a lot to do.  There is a wonderful rec center with an indoor water park, there are yoga studios, tons of parks, museums, great shops and restaurants. Denver is just 45 minutes away and Boulder is just 20 minutes away. Or, we can go north to Loveland or Ft. Collins!  Or all of beautiful Colorado for that matter.

The hooping community here is also amazing. I have many friends from Hoopcamp who live here and attend different jams all over the area. There is always something "hoopy" going on...including the upcoming Spin Summit! Woooo!

Longmont also has a strong network of homeschoolers and learning opportunities abound.

Need I go on? It's pretty much the perfect place for us right now. Which leads me to the next thing...

We're staying!

Our hearts are settled and we love it here. We never planned on traveling full-time forever...although we will always call ourselves "travelers". It's funny...we never thought we would end up in this area. But God has a way of changing things up when you least expect it. Some of you may wonder how we can "give it all up". Especially when life on the road seems so perfect. But it's time. It's time to slow it down. Create community. Give our girls some roots. Make new traditions.

Will we miss our life on the road? Of course. Is this a HUGE change for us? Yes.

We will miss meeting up with so many amazing people...BUT, there are still new people to meet and new experiences to have right here at "home". We have a new life, a new normal, and a new vision for our future. And someday when the time is right, we will travel again.

The RV will be up for sale shortly...if you're in the market for a sweet, family-friendly 40-foot RV that runs on veggie oil, feel free to email us for details.

For the rest of you...flights into Denver are cheap! Come and visit! Oh, and there are 2 houses for rent on our street. Who wants to be my neighbor?